Defending the Library of Congress
by Jennie Rose Halperin
On May 8, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden received an email from Trent Morse, the deputy director of White House personnel, in which he fired her with no cause “effective immediately,” “on behalf of President Donald J. Trump.” Hayden, who was nominated to serve by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 74-18, would have stepped down in 2026 at the end of her 10-year term. She was the first woman and the first African American Librarian of Congress.
On May 12, two Trump administration officials, Paul Perkins and Brian Nieves, arrived at the James Madison Memorial Building of the Library of Congress, demanding entry. They claimed to be, respectively, the acting Register of Copyrights and acting Deputy Librarian of Congress. In the absence of authorization or word from Congress, Library General Counsel Meg Williams denied the two men access to the building. After a brief, tense conversation, the officials dispersed.
The Library of Congress is in the legislative branch— it should not be subject to the President’s power, though his firing of Carla Hayden is likely legal. Trump’s attempt to appoint Todd Blanche, his personal lawyer in the Stormy Daniels hush-money case, as acting Librarian of Congress has met with bipartisan resistance from Congress due to separation of powers. “My understanding is these are congressional employees,” said Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota. “I think it’s up to Congress to make that decision, and not the White House. But we’re going to check.”
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